I'm a Immortal Tavernkeeper, But My S-Rank Daughter Doesn't Know That!

After returning to the mansion, as Victor was on his way to Mari Dundragon’s laboratory, Frugeon crossed his path in a corridor.

"Good evening, guard," Victor replied.

"Good evening, Victor." Frugeon greeted. "You’ve been gone since this morning. Are you still picking up orders from the Association? If you like, I can introduce you to people who pay better for direct work."

"I appreciate the gesture, but I prefer to work with the Association. Anyway, I didn’t go hunting today. I was looking for an herb that Mari asked me for."

"An herb? So you went to the city market..."

"Not really. I went to the Lura Forest."

"What? But that forest..."

"I know. It’s a very strange forest. Fortunately, I managed to find the herb and get out before nightfall. By the way, have you ever heard of guardians in this forest?"

Frugeon seemed impressed by Victor’s achievement and pondered the question. "Um. Druid-like guardians? They’re a very eccentric people, so I doubt they’d want to live so close to a big city like Klento."

"I’m not talking about druids, but, you know, beings." Victor said, and the curiosity in his eyes seemed sincere.

With a more serious face, in keeping with the tone of the conversation, Frugeon nodded. "I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of them. But I’m just a bodyguard who accompanies one councilor around the city all day, so I don’t know much about the secrets of the city. Why is that? Do you think you saw something there?"

"See? No..." Victor lied. "But I think I felt it."

"I see. If you have a lot of questions, talk to Gracela. She seems like a serious kind of woman, but she’s someone who studies a lot about the legends and myths of this kingdom. She’ll be able to help you much better than I can."

"All right. Thank you, Frugeon."

"It was nothing."

Then they all went their separate ways down the corridor.

In fact, Victor had many questions about Amanda and the Lura Forest, but Amanda didn’t seem to be a threat, so Victor was in no hurry to learn more about her.

Without further ado, Victor made his way to Mari’s laboratory, which was tucked away in the mansion’s corridors.

Arriving at the discreet spot where Mari Dundragon’s laboratory was located, Victor came upon the small door that seemed to lead to a simple broom closet. Instinctively, he glanced around to make sure he wasn’t being watched and opened the door. Behind it was a narrow flight of stairs that led deep into the mansion. Victor descended the stairs, feeling the temperature drop as he approached the underground lab.

At the end of the stairs, a long corridor stretched out before him, lit by magical torches that cast a bluish light. Victor knew this corridor well, and the first thing he did was to push a certain brick on the wall to his right.

Immediately, a series of mechanical clicks and creaks sounded along the corridor, activating a series of traps designed to protect Mari’s laboratory from unwanted intruders.

Victor had disarmed these traps several times before, but Mari’s ingenuity always impressed him.

The first trap consisted of poison darts fired from the walls. Victor watched carefully as rows of small holes opened up in the stones, ready to launch their deadly projectiles. However, the brick he had pressed deactivated the mechanism, and the darts remained silent in their chambers.

Further along, the floor of the corridor began to move, revealing sharp blades emerging from the floor in unpredictable patterns. The blades glistened in the torchlight, ready to cut down anyone who tried to pass. Victor waited patiently as the deactivation system took care of the blades, which slowly returned to their hidden resting place.

Nearly halfway down the corridor, a section of the ceiling opened to reveal a large stone sphere hanging from a thick chain. The sphere was ready to break free and crush any intruders, but as expected, it remained in place, inert and secure.

Victor continued down the corridor, passing a series of other traps - enchanted ice arrows, a false floor that opened into a deep pit, and a poisonous fog that could be released through holes in the wall.

Each of these traps was precisely deactivated by the mechanism Victor had triggered by pressing the stone.

Finally, he reached the door at the end of the corridor. This door, unlike the discreet entrance to the lab, was clearly reinforced with multiple protective enchantments.

Victor placed his hand on the center of the door, where an arcane symbol was engraved. A soft glow emanated from the symbol, acknowledging Victor’s presence and allowing him to enter.

The door opened slowly, revealing Mari Dundragon’s actual laboratory. The room was large and filled with magical and technological instruments and devices. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with ancient scrolls and grimoires. Vials and test tubes bubbled with colored liquids on workbenches, and crystals glowed softly with stored energy.

Mari was in the back of the room, bent over a table, examining an intricate set of gears for an invention. Her red hair shone in the light of the various enchanted lamps scattered around the lab. She looked up as Victor entered and smiled.

"Ah, Victor! I see you’ve returned safely. Did you bring the herb I asked for?"

Victor took the small leather pouch from his pocket and handed it to Mari. "Yes, here it is. It was an interesting search, to say the least."

"Excellent!" exclaimed Mari, taking the bag carefully. "You have no idea how much this is going to help me."

Victor watched as Mari, wearing gloves, carefully removed the Noctiluria from the bag, revealing the shiny leaves and the faint aura emanating from the plant. Mari immediately placed the herb on a table and began to analyze it with a magic magnifying glass, muttering to herself as she inspected every detail.

I better not talk about my encounter with the wild wolves or the Nostra Bear, so as not to worry about them. Victor thought and then said, "I found them by a stream in a damp place."

"That’s good. So you didn’t have to rummage through a rotten tree."

Victor nodded. "What exactly do you need this herb for?"

Mari smiled enigmatically as she placed the noctiluria in a glass jar and sealed it with a crystal lid. "Noctiluria has many unique properties, but the main one is healing. There are reports that this herb has cured incurable diseases, which are usually also attributed to curses. In other words, if there’s an herb that can cure curses, there’s a slight chance that if you use it, your curse will be cured."

"With an herb? Is that even possible?"

"I have to run tests. The most complicated part is the synthesis. Any mistakes could have serious consequences."

Victor frowned, worried. "What consequences are you are talking about?"

Mari finally looked up. "Victor, Noctiluria has very powerful properties. If it’s synthesized correctly, it can cure curses that no other method can, but if something goes wrong, the potion can be fatal. That’s why I was so careful."

Victor took a deep breath, feeling the gravity of Mari’s words. "I see. But how are you going to make sure that everything goes according to plan?"

Mari put her Noctiluria aside for a moment and walked over to one bookshelf filled with books. She pulled out an old grimoire, its pages yellowed by time, and opened it to a marked page. "I have studied this herb and its properties for years. This grimoire contains formulas that date back centuries when alchemists attempted to create healing elixirs. The basis for synthesizing Noctiluria is here, but I had to make adjustments."

Victor approached curiously. "Adaptations?"

Mari nodded and turned another page of the Grimoire. "Yes. The major difficulty is stabilizing the magical components of the herb. For that, I need a catalyst to balance its volatile properties. And that’s where the Moon Squid Brain Fluid comes in."

Victor’s eyes widened. "The devourer of ships..."

Mari laughed softly. "Yes. What you have for me is a powerful and rare ingredient, but necessary to stabilize the potion."

She turned to her workbench, where several vials and test tubes were meticulously organized.

"Victor, I’ve been taking samples of your blood every day to make sure the potion is compatible with your volatile organism."

Victor nodded, remembering the constant sting of the needles. "Yes, I remember. But why is that so important?"

Mari sighed, choosing her words carefully. "Because the potion has to be specific to you. Each person reacts differently to these magical ingredients. If the mixture isn’t perfectly balanced with your blood, it could be fatal."

Victor felt a shiver run down his spine. "And what are the chances of that happening?"

Mari hesitated before answering. "With the right synthesis, the chances of you dying are small. But the biggest risk is something else. The possibility that you will become catatonic."

"Catatonic?" Victor repeated, trying to take in the information. "You mean I could... lose consciousness permanently?"

"Yes. That’s why I need to be absolutely certain of every step of the process. I can’t afford any mistakes."